Xiaomi Redmi 5A, Mi 6 Can Now be Ported to Android 9 Pie, But There is a Catch; Know How

Now that Google has released the AOSP source code for Android 9.0 Pie, developers are releasing Custom ROMs for several devices. The latest phones to get an Android 9.0 Custom ROM are, the Xiaomi Mi 6, and the Redmi 5A.

As of now, only the Google Pixel 2, Pixel, and the Essential Phone, are repping Android 9.0 Pie officially. But if you cannot wait for official ports from OEMs, then you can head over to XDA developers and looks for a Custom ROM for your device.

The Redmi 5A is a budget smartphone, and it is nice to see that owners of this device can also try out the latest Android software. Even the Xiaomi Mi 6, which is now more than a year old, gets to try out Pie. Other smartphones from Xiaomi have also got to taste the goodness of Android Pie, for example, the Redmi Note 5 Pro.

Anyway, in this post, we are going to tell you about the Android 9.0 Pie Custom ROMs that have been released for the Redmi 5A, and the Xiaomi Mi 6.

Xiaomi Redmi 5A: Android 9 Pie Custom ROM

If you own the Redmi 5A, and want to try out the latest Android 9.0 Pie software, then you can do so thanks to the CarbonROM. This ROM is still in beta, so some things may not work, and you could face some bugs and crashes.

Before you download the ROM and flash it, you will need to unlock the bootloader on the Redmi 5A and also install a Custom recovery such as TWRP. Right now, with the Carbon beta ROM for Redmi 5A, you cannot use the IR Blaster. It also doesn’t support hardware encryption yet. Apart from these two issues, pretty much everything else works fine, which means that you can use it as a daily.

To try out this ROM, head over to the device page on XDA developers, look for the CarbonBeta ROM, then download and flash the update manually. You can also try the LineageOS 16 ROM for the Redmi 5A, which is based on Android 9.0 Pie.

The Redmi 5A is a low-end device, which has a 5-inch HD display, Snapdragon 425 processor, up to 3GB of RAM, 32GB of internal storage, a 13MP camera at the back, and a 5MP front camera. It is backed by a 3000mAh battery and runs on Android 7.1.2 Nougat, out of the box. It will receive the MIUI 10 update soon, but that is going to be based on Nougat as well. Xiaomi will most likely not update the Redmi 5A to Android 9.0 Pie, so custom ROMs are the only way.

Xiaomi Mi 6: Android 9 Pie Custom ROM

The Android 9.0 Pie port for Xiaomi’s Mi 6 comes via the latest NitrogenOS ROM for the device. The Mi 6 was released in April last year, and will most likely not get an official update to Android 9.0. Therefore, custom ROMs are the only way to currently enjoy the latest Android OS on the device.

To install the ROM, requirements are same as always. Your device needs to be bootloader unlocked, and a have a custom Recovery. The NitrogenOS ROM appears to be stable enough for daily use, and most of the things work. However, since this is a custom ROM, there might be some issues and bugs.

If you want to try this ROM, head over to the Mi 6 Development page on XDA, and look for NitrogenOS ROM. You will have to download the firmware and flash the zip manually. The Mi 6 has a 5.15-inch FullHD display, Snapdragon 835 processor, up to 6GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, a dual-rear camera setup, 8MP front camera, and a 3350mAh battery.

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Sid is one of our most active writers. He has previously worked with tech blogs like AndroidSoul and N4BB. Having dedicated his years on writing about consumer electronics and enlightening the readers on every new gadget on the block, Sid can very well be tagged as an expert when it comes to smartphones.